The “chasing arrows” symbol is the internationally recognised symbol for recycling. But, do you know the number inside is what tells the real story? Within each chasing arrows triangle, there is a number from one to seven that’s used to identify the type of plastic in the product. Not all plastics are created equal – some can’t be broken down or recycled. Understanding the seven types of plastic will make your recycling life easier. 1 is PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate) PET is one of the most commonly used plastics in consumer products and can most often be found in water and other drink bottles as well as food packaging. It’s recycled into polyester fibres and other lower grade products like carpets, too. 2 is HDPE (High-Density Polyethylene) HDPE is a harder plastic that is used for detergent and oil bottles, milk containers, hair care products, and some plastic bags. HDPE is the most commonly recycled plastic and it’s a relatively simple and cost-effective process to recycle HDPE plastic for secondary use. The EU’s 2008 Waste Framework set a target recovery and recycling rate of plastic for 22.5% which the UK has surpassed by achieving 46.2%. Meanwhile, in America, only 29.6% of plastic is recycled. Here is where it gets a bit...